tea

IT Support today

With some of our team on annual leave today I had to cover the support:

  • find and fix a network issue and then add a wifi point
  • supply a new larger monitor
  • add some new users to our hosted exchange servers
  • and carry out our regular server and backup checks, but I did that from my iPad over breakfast!
  • I also met with a client to finalise a project to replace a Windows 2003 server.

    Behind a computer

    IT Support today Read More »

    Networking Lunch @JocastasGroup @TheBNLincoln @OctagonT

    Sausage and mash Jocastas Lincoln

    The Business Network Lincoln monthly lunch meeting

    Great networking event today – met up with old friends and made some new contacts.

    Kamila’s “Twenty Tips for Data Security” went down very well.

    As alway and excellent lunch served by Jenny and her team at Jocastas. Thank you.

    Sorry Stuart missed the bangers and mash – but pleased he phoned me so I could order them.

    Photo of the day had to be the sausages!

    Networking Lunch @JocastasGroup @TheBNLincoln @OctagonT Read More »

    Tea today! @OctagonT @busclublincs @busclublincs @choosepurpleltd

    Vintage tea advert

    I had an early meeting today with Nick from JK Sonics to organise some first aid training for the staff at Octagon and order some extra first aid supplies for my walking trips. I then went on to meet with Justin from Choose Purple to chat about our businesses.

    Tea today not coffee!

    Tea today! @OctagonT @busclublincs @busclublincs @choosepurpleltd Read More »

    Sunday morning walk – Finnish Gas Mask Bag – First Aid Kit – StarShipSofa

    New kit today – Finnish gas mask bag.

    I got out this morning for a short walk around the village, just as the early morning mist was lifting. The day was much warmer than I expected so the heavy coat I had on was too much. I had saved this week’s episode of StarShipSofa to listen too whilst on this walk. There was interesting short story in this week’s show a mix of Philip Marlowe and E.T.

    Branston Hall Hotel Lincolnshire

    There were snowdrops everywhere I looked.

    Snowdrops

    Woodland snowdrops in Lincolnshire

    Snowdrops

    Tea and a Finnish Gas Mask Bag

    A stop for a brew - Finnish gas mask bag, Alpkit Kraku gas stove (behind a wind shield) and a Sea to Summit alloy spoon

    I found a spot in the sun, tucked behind some bushes and out of sight of the many dog walkers who were out.

    I had packed my gear in a bag I bought on my recent visit to Morecambe. There was an excellent stall in the indoor market selling Army surplus at exceptional prices. As well as this bag I bought some military gloves and a Norwegian wool shirt. He is not on the internet or email and just sells in this market, so if you want a bargain you have to go there.

    I think this shoulder bag was originally designed as a gas mask bag, for the Finnish Army and is new, having never been issued. It is a useful size, with a third/two thirds divider in the main bag and a selection of smaller pockets inside with snap down flaps. The main bag lid is shaped and also snaps shut securely.

    Contents of my Finnish gas mask bag

    There is plenty of room for my backpacking cook set, water, food, sit mat and first aid kit and pockets for smaller bits of gear.

    Paracord loops sewn on the gas mask haversack to hold extra gear - Finnish gas mask bag mods

    I have sewn some paracord loops on the bag so I can attach extra gear or a wet waterproof using elastic cord. I also want to add some stronger loops on the bottom of the bag, again to allow me to carry extra gear. (See here for the loops in action.)

    The Finnish gas mask bag came with a waist strap, which I have carefully cut off. I did not think I would use it and just looping the belt up made the back of the bag uncomfortable to wear.

    This will make a great bag for day walks – I have used my old British World War II gas mask case (which I bough when I was 11!) on some short trips, but age has started to catch up with it.

    Update – March 2015 – click here

    Sunday morning walk – Finnish Gas Mask Bag – First Aid Kit – StarShipSofa Read More »

    Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

    Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

    The weather this morning was bright and clear – excellent for walking in the snow, as long as you take gloves, hat, warm jacket, decent boots, thick socks, etc, etc.

    The snow in most places was a couple of inches deep although from time to time it was much deeper.

    My boot sunk in more than a foot of snow
    My boot sunk in more than a foot of snow

    Craigellachie National Nature Reserve is a short walk from Scandinavian Village and is very close to Aviemore – it is a great place to explore and take photos.

    The frozen lake through the trees Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

    Frozen lake Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

    The lake was frozen and had this mysterious “Superman” logo on the ice.

    Superman logo on the ice

    The view through the trees Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

    I cleared the snow from the end of a bench and had a brew up, using my MSR Titanium mug and Alpkit Kraku stove, a great lightweight and efficient combination in the cold weather. Hot tea and cake, sitting in the winter sun shine.

    Making tea with my MSR titanium mug and Alpkit Kraku stove

    I forgot to pack my sit mat so I had to sit on my gloves and hat as the icy bench was far to cold to sit on without insulation.

    Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve Read More »

    Snow, rain, wind and hail

    That is how the morning started so Alex and I decided that the only cure for such a day was a full English breakfast. So it was off to The View Cafe Morecambe to see what their’s was like.

    The View Cafe and Vintage Music, Morecambe

    I had a chance today to take some photos of the memorabilia.

    Memorabilia on the walls of The View Cafe Morecambe

    45s The View Cafe Morecambe

    Newspaper if the day Elvis died

    The spam menu

    This is not the type of spam I am used to dealing with!

    … and here is the breakfast.

    A full English breakfast The View cafe in Morecambe

    This cafe is great, they have the usual range of items on their menu you would expect from a sea side cafe – and spam (although we did not try it). The breakfast we had was well cooked and serve hot to our table and there was extra tea and toast included. I would recommend a visit.


    The weather did change and we could eventually see across the bay to the Lake District.

    The Lake District from Morecambe

    Snow, rain, wind and hail Read More »

    Walking on Morecambe beach

    With more extremely high winds and storms forecast for the afternoon I took advantage of a sunny, bright and only breezy morning to walk along the beach at Morecambe.

    Morecambe beach Lancashire
    The tide was a long way out.

    Red boat on Morecambe beach Lancashire

     Morecambe beach Lancashire
    click on the above image for a larger version

    Iron birds on Morecambe promenade

    I stopped for tea and a bacon roll at The View Cafe and Vintage Music, on the seafront, it does have a great view across Morecambe Bay. The place mats were a bit unusual.

    Vinyl records as place mats - The View Cafe and Vintage Music Morecambe

    Walking on Morecambe beach Read More »